Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Guneet K. Bindra, Scott A. Williams, Fung T. Lay, Amy A. Baxter, Ivan K. H. Poon, Mark D. Hulett, Thanh Kha Phan
Summary: Defensins are a crucial component of the cationic host defence peptide (HDP) family and have antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities. This study reveals that human beta-defensin 2 (HBD-2) can kill tumor cells through acute lytic cell death and does not affect tumor cell migration.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Mary K. McKenna, Alexander Englisch, Benjamin Brenner, Tyler Smith, Valentina Hoyos, Masataka Suzuki, Malcolm K. Brenner
Summary: Using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to systemically deliver a binary vector containing OAd and HDAd improves tumor therapy effectiveness. CAd-infected MSCs deliver functional virus, stimulating CAR-T cell anti-tumor activity through IL-12 and PD-L1 blocker release.
Article
Cell Biology
Anu S. Nath, Brendon D. Parsons, Stephanie Makdissi, Rebecca L. Chilvers, Yizhu Mu, Ceileigh M. Weaver, Irene Euodia, Katherine A. Fitze, Juyang Long, Michal Scur, Duncan P. Mackenzie, Andrew P. Makrigiannis, Nicolas Pichaud, Luc H. Boudreau, Andrew J. Simmonds, Christine A. Webber, Beata Derfalvi, Yannick Hammon, Richard A. Rachubinski, Francesca Di Cara
Summary: Peroxisomes play key roles in lipid metabolism and immune function, particularly in macrophage activation and cytoskeletal remodeling. Loss of peroxisome function can hinder host survival after infection.
Review
Oncology
N. E. Donlon, R. Power, C. Hayes, J. Reynolds, J. Lysaght
Summary: Immune checkpoint blockade has significantly changed the treatment of solid tumors, but many patients do not respond. Combining radiation therapy with immunotherapy may have synergistic effects by remodeling the tumor microenvironment, but careful control of dose and fractionation is essential for safety and efficacy. Ongoing efforts to combine radiation, immunotherapy, and DNA damage response inhibitors aim to achieve a beneficial balance between the immunogenic and tolerogenic effects of radiation on the immune microenvironment.
Article
Respiratory System
Ines Lopez-Alonso, Cecilia Lopez-Martinez, Paula Martin-Vicente, Laura Amado-Rodriguez, Adrian Gonzalez-Lopez, Juan Mayordomo-Colunga, Cecilia del Busto, Marina Bernal, Irene Crespo, Aurora Astudillo, Miguel Arias-Guillen, Antonio Fueyo, Isaac Almendros, Jorge Otero, Hector Sanz-Fraile, Ramon Farre, Guillermo M. Albaiceta
Summary: The study found that mechanical stretch can increase invasiveness of lung cancer cells, which may have clinically relevant consequences. Pharmacological manipulation of cholesterol endocytosis could be a novel therapeutic target in this setting.
EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
P. O. Maksimchuk, K. O. Hubenko, V. V. Seminko, V. L. Karbivskii, A. S. Tkachenko, A. Onishchenko, V. Yu Prokopyuk, S. L. Yefimova
Summary: GdYVO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles exhibit strong antioxidant activity and can effectively scavenge various reactive oxygen species, suggesting their potential applications as nanoantioxidants.
Review
Oncology
Marcelo Ehrlich, Eran Bacharach
Summary: Oncolytic viruses (OVs) show specificity towards malignant cells due to the characteristics of cancer cells and tumor immunoediting. Oncogene-induced features, DNA methylation, and immune activation contribute to viral replication and support anti-tumor immunity. The interaction between oncogene-mediated transformation and tumor immunoediting alters the intracellular environment of tumor cells, enhancing OV replication and anti-tumor immune responses.
Article
Immunology
Jack Firth, Jingjing Sun, Vaques George, Jian-Dong Huang, Mona Bajaj-Elliott, Kenth Gustafsson
Summary: This study found that bacterial outer-membrane vesicles (OMVs) can activate gamma delta T cells, which have anti-tumor capabilities. The OMVs induced a broad inflammatory response and stimulated the expansion of V gamma 9V delta 2 T cells. These activated T cells exhibited cytolytic activity against breast and leukemia cell lines.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Lalitha Palanivelu, Ching-Hsuan Liu, Liang-Tzung Lin
Summary: Cancer is a major global health concern, causing millions of deaths each year. Traditional chemotherapy has limitations such as drug resistance and off-target effects, and cancer cells often develop ways to evade immune surveillance. However, oncolytic viro-immunotherapy can trigger immunogenic cell death (ICD), leading to an antitumor immune response. Oncolytic viruses can infect and destroy targeted cancer cells, stimulate the immune system, and release neoantigens to enhance antitumor immunity. This review discusses the concept of ICD in cancer and strategies to enhance the immunogenicity of oncolytic viruses.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Arti M. M. Raghubar, Matthew J. J. Roberts, Simon Wood, Helen G. G. Healy, Andrew J. J. Kassianos, Andrew J. J. Mallett
Summary: This review examines recent single-cell transcriptomics studies of ccRCC to clarify the transition of PTEC in ccRCC development and the immune cell types, states, and interactions that may limit the response to targeted immune therapy. It suggests stromal cells as key drivers in recurrent and locally invasive ccRCC.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Alicia Teijeira Crespo, Stephanie Burnell, Lorenzo Capitani, Rebecca Bayliss, Elise Moses, Georgina H. Mason, James A. Davies, Andrew J. Godkin, Awen M. Gallimore, Alan L. Parker
Summary: This article reviews the potential of oncolytic viruses and immunotherapy combinations for enhancing cancer treatment efficacy. It also discusses the use of increasingly sophisticated model systems, particularly ex vivo patient-derived models, for preclinical assessment of these advanced agents.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Darshak Kartikey Bhatt, Thijs Janzen, Toos Daemen, Franz Weissing
Summary: Oncolytic virotherapy is a promising cancer treatment method that utilizes viruses to target, infect, and eliminate cancer cells. However, the presence of virus-resistant tumor cells often reduces its effectiveness. This study developed a cell-based model to explore the impact of viral infection on the dynamics of infection-sensitive and infection-resistant cells in tumor tissue and predict treatment efficacy. The model revealed that therapeutic outcomes are influenced by the death rate of infected cells, with rapid virus clearance leading to cancer persistence. Furthermore, the model identified three causes of therapy failure: rapid virus clearance, rapid selection of resistant cancer cells, and low viral spread due to infection-resistant healthy cells. The model suggests that improving therapeutic efficacy can be achieved by sensitizing healthy stromal cells to infection.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Arian Lundberg, Joan Jong Jing Yi, Linda S. Lindstrom, Nicholas P. Tobin
Summary: The loss of control over the cell cycle is a fundamental feature of human malignancies, with gynecological tumors showing the highest levels of cell cycle activity. This is partially attributed to hormonal signaling and gene expression changes.
NPJ PRECISION ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Zi-Hao Wang, Wen-Bei Peng, Pei Zhang, Xiang-Ping Yang, Qiong Zhou
Summary: This review focuses on recent advances in the regulation of immune responses by lactate in the tumour microenvironment, as well as therapeutic strategies targeting lactate anabolism and transport. Lactate plays multifaceted roles in influencing immune responses, and a comprehensive understanding of how lactate and lactate-targeting therapies regulate immune responses in the TME may provide insights into the complex relationships between metabolism and antitumour immunity.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Wei Li, Jielin Wan, Cuiyu Chen, Chengfang Zhou, Ping Liao, Qian Hu, Jiali Hu, Yang Wang, Yu Zhang, Cong Peng, Yuanfei Huang, Weihua Huang, Wei Zhang, Howard L. Mcleod, Yijing He
Summary: Preclinical and early clinical studies have shown that propranolol, a beta-adrenergic receptor blocker, can exert antitumor activity through cell signaling and immune function pathways. The inhibition of beta(2)-AR signaling selectively suppresses cell viability and inhibits xenograft growth, while propranolol can activate CD8(+) T cells in the tumor microenvironment. However, selective beta(1) or beta(2)-AR blockers have no significant effect on the tumor immune microenvironment. Therefore, the antitumor activity of propranolol is predominantly dependent on cell signaling rather than the activation of CD8(+) T cells.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE-JMM
(2022)